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Criterion
Paper illustration of two considered options leading to a decision record with a marked status and visible consequences.
Architecture
Architecture Decision Record
Paper illustration of two user profile cards with a goal, behavior evidence, and an open research question.
UX Research
Personas
Affinity Diagramming
UX Research
Affinity Diagramming
Purposedifferent
An ADR permanently records an architecture decision with context, trade-offs, and consequence. It creates continuity for later changes because the decision path stays traceable.When target groups stay too vague and teams talk about the same people differently, personas create a shared, solid picture of usage. Condensed profiles make needs, contexts, and differences tangible enough for decisions.When research notes, feedback, or observations sit unconnected side by side, affinity diagramming sorts the raw material into solid themes. Many individual points turn into patterns that make decisions and opportunities clearer.
Complexitydifferent
LowMediumLow
Timedifferent
15-45 min1-3 Tage45–90 min
Participantsdifferent
1-3Internes Team3-10
Formatdifferent
AsyncWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
ADR File, Decision Log, RationalePersona Profiles, Needs Summary, Scenario NotesTheme clusters, Insight statements, Opportunity areas
Tagsno overlap
ArchitectureRationaleDocumentationGovernance
ResearchCustomerSynthesis
SynthesisQualitativeRoot cause
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.

Paper illustration of two people facing each other, speech bubbles and an open interview notebook.
UX Research
User Interviews
Empathy Mapping
UX Research
Empathy Mapping
Paper illustration of Request for Comments (RFC) with its method-specific working model.
Architecture
Request for Comments